It happens.

Again.

The Rams have recovered from a dismal first half of the season and are headed to the playoffs.

Again.

Despite a nebulous offensive performance against the San Francisco 49ers, coach Sean McVay’s team is now the team that no one in the NFL wants to play against anymore.

Again.

The Rams defeated the 49ers 12-6 at Levi’s Stadium on Thursday night.

Joshua Karty kicked four field goals, Kyren Williams rushed for 108 yards and cornerback Darious Williams intercepted a pass in the fourth quarter, helping the Rams improve their record to 8-6.

While the Rams may not have been painful to watch, they felt great.

For good reason.

The Rams have won three straight games for the first time in a season that began with a 1-4 start. They also beat the 49ers for the first time since 2018, when McVay led the Rams to Super Bowl LIII in his second season.

In September, the Rams needed a patented fourth-quarter comeback from Matthew Stafford and a last-second field goal from Karty to beat the 49ers 27-24 at SoFi Stadium.

Stafford struggled for much of Thursday – completing 16 of 27 passes for 160 yards – but Karty was perfect, making shots of 48, 23, 27 and 29 yards.

The Rams earned a 44-42 victory over the strong Buffalo Bills, a win that showcased a seemingly consistent offense and a defense that had struggled in games against strong offenses like the Philadelphia Eagles and Bills.

The Rams remain in second place in the NFC West. The Seattle Seahawks (8-5) are in first place, the Arizona Cardinals (6-7) are in third and the reigning NFC champion 49ers (6-8) are likely out of the playoff hunt.

With the win, the Rams have a mini-bye of sorts this weekend before playing the New York Jets next Sunday.

They will finish the season with home games against the Cardinals and Seahawks.

At halftime the score was tied, 3-3, as both offenses struggled to perform in the rain.

The skies cleared after halftime, but the Rams remained in the fog: They went three-and-out on their first possession of the third quarter.

The Rams got a break when 49ers receiver Deebo Samuel dropped a third-down pass over the middle that could have resulted in a big play or touchdown. Instead, the 49ers had to settle for another field goal from Jake Moody and a 6-3 lead.

Then the Rams offense finally came together.

Somehow.

Stafford led a 17-play, 65-yard drive that lasted nearly 10 minutes. The Rams reached the four-yard line before penalties negated the threat and forced the Rams to settle for another Karty field goal early in the fourth quarter.

After forcing the 49ers to punt, the Rams finally called it quits.

Read more:🏈 Rams-49ers recap

Somehow.

Stafford connected with Puka Nacua for a 51-yard pass that moved the ball inside the 20-yard line, but the drive stalled and the Rams settled for Karty’s third field goal.

The 49ers then drove to the Rams’ 34-yard line, but Williams’ interception in the end zone quelled the threat.

With just over five minutes left, the Rams got the ball and used it almost entirely during a drive that ended with Karty’s final field goal with 18 seconds left.

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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.